http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/1858737/david-beckham-design-fashion-line-hong-kongs-kent-curwen
Watch out Victoria! David Beckham to design fashion line with Hong Kongowned label Kent &Curwen
David Beckham sits with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour as wife
Victoria Beckham shows her spring/summer 2016 fashion collection in
New York this week. His deal with Hong Kong's Kent &Curwen will
help make him more of a fashion force than he is already. Photo:
EPASoccer and fashion icon David Beckham is to design a collection
for Hong Kong-owned label Kent &Curwen.
Under a newly signed five-year partnership deal,
Beckham - whose wife, Victoria, is an acclaimed
womenswear designer - will oversee design of his
collaborative line, help market the collections, and involve himself in its branding and
positioning and the design of Kent &Curwen stores. The preppy British heritage label plans to
open 20 stores worldwide, and remodel its stores in China, over the next three to five years.
The deal appears aimed at attracting a younger clientele to Kent &Curwen, most of whose
current customers are 45 and over.
WATCH David Beckham advert for Kent &Curwen
Richard Cohen, chief executive of Hong Kong-listed Trinity Limited, which signed the
Beckham deal with the Global Brands Group headed by Bruce Rockowitz, said on Wednesday
it was a "real partnership" as opposed to Beckham being just a paid ambassador or face of Kent
&Curwen. "He will sit with me and the executive team to be involved in the future global
strategy of Kent &Curwen."
The label has previously had Hong Kong actor-singer Aaron Kwok Fu-shing as an ambassador,
and another ex-British soccer star, Michael Owen, starring in its advertising campaigns. Cohen
said those were "all positive things at that time, but the strategy now is much more of a fashion
point of view".
"I've been working on it for about nine months," he said of the Beckham deal. "We always
perceived that it would be great for Kent & Curwen to have a serious kick globally, especially
in China. When I found out that David was associated with Bruce (Rockowitz) and that whole
team at Global Brands Group, I basically said this is what I want and let's get it done...We are
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http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/1858737/david-beckham-design-fashion-line-hong-kongs-kent-curwen
an English sports brand so associating ourselves with THE fashion icon of sports is exactly
what we want to do."
Trinity Limited is a listed member of the unlisted Fung Group of companies, while Global
Brands Group was spun off from sourcing giant Li &Fung to hold its consumer brands.
Trinity has built up a small but powerful stable of notable men's heritage brands, from Gieves
&Hawkes to Italian label Cerruti 1881, but this celebrity partnership will be the group's most
high-profile to date. Landing Beckham, with his star power and reported net worth of US$350
million, is a huge coup for the brand, founded in 1926.
Trinity quoted Beckham as saying: "What I love is that Kent &Curwen has pedigree ... passed
through generations of Britain's most celebrated style icons, from Laurence Olivier to Michael
Caine and Mick Jagger ... Our aim is to build on its existing success in China ... and establish it
as a powerful brand globally."
Asked how hard it was to convince the already wealthy Beckham to sign on, Cohen said once
everyone involved got "comfortable" with what the brand is today, its clientele and vision for
the future, "it was relatively smooth sailing".
Kent &Curwen's major market is China, including Hong Kong. But with Beckham's global
appeal, Cohen predicts business will grow in North America, the Middle East, and
Southeast Asia.
"Wherever the Chinese consumer is travelling, I want to get hold of them," Richard Cohen said.
The Beckham collection, which will be in stores next autumn, will be aimed at younger
customers, especially those in their 30s, whereas the brand's main consumer base is currently in
the 45 and over age bracket. Signing up Beckham is no doubt aimed at winning over highspending, fashion-forward men who previously found the label too conservative.
In December 2014 Beckham signed a worldwide licensing joint venture with Global Brands
Group to create a lifestyle brand. At the time, Rockowitz called the deal, covering everything
from fashion and children's wear to food and electronics, "a game-changer in sports and
entertainment”.
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Sep 21, 2015 07:23:34PM MDT